“Freedom has nothing to do with it. Intelligence and common sense have something to do with it.” – Libero Quotidiano

Thousands of people on the streets of different cities, moments of tension, some clashes and not a few intruders are ready to make a mess. The protest against the government’s measures to stop the epidemic is embodied in the cry of “freedom”. Freedom not to vaccinate without being punished in any way. Ending this was inevitable given the extremes of the struggle of ideas between the supporter (the majority) and the non-extremist.

Our position is clear and we have repeated it several times: Freedom has nothing to do with it, also because no one questioned it, let alone us. There is intelligence and common sense, Two things that no government can regulate. If a large number of Italians freely choose not to vaccinate, the likelihood of infection developing increases. If the infection grows, the probability increases – it happened in recent months – that hospitalization will increase. If hospitalizations increase – and this has happened as well – Covid medicine will not be affected, even for important diseases (cancer, heart disease) for which rapid intervention is key. If this happens, many people will risk their lives regardless of Covid. And if this harmful mechanism does not stop, we will have to return to shutting down activities that can continue to operate safely if the situation is kept under control thanks to vaccinations and green lanes.

As we can see, the liberties at stake in this conflict are more than one, and not just – the legitimacy – of not being vaccinated. Then I ask myself what meaning it should open when opening the struggle of freedom, to whom it benefits and to whom it can serve. Certainly not fighting Covid, and not undermining the fears – if any, it strengthens them because one feels part of the community – of those who fear the side effects of a vaccine. Which are no more serious than the effects, sometimes direct, that tumor screening has been refused or delayed, or those who have had to lower screen shutters due to a pandemic, have suffered in the past year and a half. Then we return to the main point of the question. Does the ruling class in this country, especially the political class, want and can manage this clash of opposing liberties or does it only hope to gain some advantage? Unfortunately, this question, at the moment, has no definitive answers.